NEPTUNE Training Session:

Transcription

1 NEPTUNE Training Session: Part 1: Background Foothills Model Forest Natural Disturbance Program September, 2006 Dr. David Andison

2 New Emulation Planning Tool for Understanding Natural Events

3 Outline: 1. The FMF Natural Disturbance Program 2. The Natural Pattern Concept 3. A New Spatial Language

4 Foothills Model Forest

5 The FMF Natural Disturbance Program Understand and integrate into forest land management the patterns and process of natural disturbance. Partner-driven, science-based and solution oriented. Long-term vision / plan. 3 Main Classes of Projects: - Research - Integration - Communication / Education

6 Research Group Question: What are the patterns and processes of natural disturbances? - research. Model Forest Question: What are the patterns and processes of ND s and the most relevant issues pertaining to the integration and use of the natural pattern strategy? - research + education + communication + demonstration + integration + facilitation.

7 The ND Program Scope Spans All Spatial Scales Region - Foothills Model Forest Landscape - Upper Foothills Natural Sub-region Disturbance - Gregg River Burn Stand - Remnant island

8 NDP Program Partners - Hinton Wood Products West Fraser - Jasper National Park - Alberta Sustainable Resource Development - Alberta Newsprint Co. Project Partners: - Weyerhaeuser - Blue Ridge - Sundre Forest Products - Millar-Western - U. of Alberta - U. of BC - etc

9 The FMF Natural Disturbance Program: Why? A common desire among partners to maintain biodiversity by adopting a strategy of emulating natural, historical patterns of disturbance. = defining some coarse filters for decision-making.

10 A Hierarchy of Needs What is the natural pattern concept all about, and (how) is it relevant to my world? Do I need to learn new terminology to understand or use natural patterns? What are the patterns and processes of natural disturbance? Give me some working examples of what a natural pattern-inspired disturbance plan looks like. (How) Are natural disturbance dynamics critical to other known, important ecological processes? (How) Do natural-inspired disturbance patterns fit with other economic and social values? Will the current system / budget / people allow natural patterns to happen? How do patterns of past, current, and future cultural disturbances compare to those of wildfires? Give me some operational tools with which to help me design landscapes with natural patterns in mind. Theory Language Knowledge Examples Relevance Convergence Acceptance Tools

11 Where did the Natural Disturbance Model Come From? A strategy to maintain biodiversity.

12 How Does One Maintain Biodiversity? Option 1: Leave. Move out, stop harvesting, and let natural processes take over. Option 2: Manage for biodiversity values. A) issue-based vs. B) coarse filter approaches.

13 A. Issue-Based We are most familiar and comfortable dealing with specific and direct issues, such as species extinctions, soil erosion, or old growth. = Issue-Based Approach (which to some = fine filter )

14 Ecological Issue #1: Pine Marten Ecological Issue #2: Moose Ecological Issue #3: Soil erosion Ecological Issue #4: Productivity etc Mgmt. Objectives Social Issue #1: Recreation Economic Issue #1: Woodflow Economic Issue #2: Local jobs Economic Issue #3: Outfitters Economic Issue #4: Reduce waste. etc Social Issue #2: Hunting opp. Social Issue #3: Local jobs Social Issue #4: TEK. etc

15 Advantages to the Issue- Based Approach Long history of research Target most important issues Aids species understanding Concepts easily grasped

16 Weakness of the Issue- Based Approach Selective & subjective. - Several million species in Canada, of which we have only named a fraction. - Are the ones we have not yet found / studied / named important???

17 Who is in? Who is more important?

18 Weakness of the Issue- Based Approach Targets, goals are subjective - How many Caribou are good or sustainable? - What happens below or above that level? (predators, food supply, breeding,.)

19 Weakness of the Issue- Based Approach Forces tradeoff mentality Ecological Issue #1: Pine Marten Ecological Issue #2: Moose Ecological Issue #3: Soil erosion Ecological Issue #4: Productivity Moose Mgmt. Target? Economic Issue #1: Woodflow Economic Issue #2: Local jobs Economic Issue #3: Outfitters Economic Issue #4: Reduce waste Social Issue #1: Recreation Social Issue #2: Hunting opp. Social Issue #3: Local jobs Social Issue #4: TEK

20 B. Coarse Filter We can also think of ecological considerations from a more holistic viewpoint. What historical patterns and structures maintained natural levels of the entire suite of issues - known, named, or otherwise? = Coarse Filter Approach Often associated with the Natural Range of Variation (NRV) Note: Coarse does not refer to scale!

21 Advantages to the Coarse Filter Approach Study cause vs. effect (ie, no interpretations). Quantifiable (ranges) Objective Solution-space oriented Patch Size Solution Space } NRV Time

22 Weakness of the Coarse Filter Approach Is the past a model for the future? - Will climate change change everything? - How far back do we go for benchmarks?

23 Weakness of the Coarse Filter Approach If we build it, will they come? - Assumes that there is a direct relationship between patterns and ecological responses. - Assumes that coming close is good enough.

24 Weakness of the Coarse Filter Approach It is a new science. - how do we know when we are doing it? Dave s 4 Rules of NRV:

25 QUESTION 1: Old Forest % NRV Time Are we now, or in the future, staying within natural range of variation benchmarks, at any one point in time? Red Flag check

26 QUESTION 2: Old Forest % Unknown Territory Unknown Territory Time NRV Are we representing the full range of natural variation over time? or just hanging around the bare minimums? Temporal High-Grade check

27 6% QUESTION 3: Are we representing the full range of natural variation over space? A natural distribution of island remnants % Spatial High-Grade Check Island remnants % left by harvesting 6% 3% 2% 25% 11% 9% 15% 0% 7% 2% 5% 3% 3% 2% 5% 4% 4% 1% 14% 17% 7% 1% 5% 4% 4% 3% 3% 5% 5%

28 Disturbance frequency Seral-stage percentages Old growth spatio-temporal tendencies Disturbance types / severity Disturbance event sizes Patch size distribution Patch shape distribution Event mosaics Area of island remnants Numbers of island remnants Island remnant locations Edge architecture Within patch heterogeneity Coarse woody debris Dead & live standing individuals Mineral soil exposure Biomass loads Soil nutrients Soil compaction Disturbance probabilities Water temperatures Water flows Water nutrients QUESTION 4: Are we considering a complete list of natural patterns or just a select few? Cherry-Picking check

29 Coarse filter vs. Issue Based? No. They are the perfect complement. Issue-base Weaknesses: - coverage of species. - subjectivity. Coarse-filter weaknesses: - ecological response assumptions. - the past as a model for the future.

30 Patterns Within Wildfires

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32 The Mistohay Experiment: Mistik Management, Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Traditional Plan 2,680 ha harvested in 129 blocks. Ave. patch size = 21 ha (3 65 ha range) Total disturbance edge = 326 km. 122 km of roads. Actual Natural Plan 2,678 ha harvested in 31 blocks. Ave. patch size = 84 ha (1 1,104 ha range) Total disturbance edge = 167 km. 50 km of roads

33 A Hierarchy of Needs What is the natural pattern concept all about, and (how) is it relevant to my world? Do I need to learn new terminology to understand or use natural patterns? What are the patterns and processes of natural disturbance? Give me some working examples of what a natural pattern-inspired disturbance plan looks like. (How) Are natural disturbance dynamics critical to other known, important ecological processes? (How) Do natural-inspired disturbance patterns fit with other economic and social values? Will our current system / budget / people allow natural patterns to happen? How do patterns of past, current, and future cultural disturbances compare to those of wildfires? Give me some operational tools with which to help me design landscapes with natural patterns in mind. Theory Language Knowledge Examples Relevance Convergence Acceptance Tools

34 15 Patches 28 ha Wildfires are patchy, 13 Patches 8,886 ha 54 Patches 697 ha 76 Patches 1,163 ha

35 residuals are not orderly,

36 and many spatial features are ambiguous.

37 First Priority: What is a Wildfire?

38 How to Make a Disturbance Event 1. Isolate Disturbed Patches

39 2. Buffer out 250m. How to Make an Event

40 How to Make an Event (Fill in any holes ) 3. Buffer in 250m.

41 Why use buffering? Why 250m? Consistency Simplicity Repeatability Representative Well Tested

42 Disturbance Event Original Fire Map

43 Matrix Remnants (generated) Island Remnants (mapped)

44 Islands + Matrix = Residuals + =

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46 Disturbed Patches Island Remnants Matrix Remnants Event

47 Bear River Fire (1974) Disturbed = 412 ha Matrix Remnants = 62 ha (13%) Island Remnants = 33 ha (7%) Event = 507 ha (100%)

48 Falling Horse Fire (1979) Disturbed = 5,819 ha Matrix Remnants = 872 ha (13%) Island Remnants = 1,844 ha (28%) Event = 6,691 ha

49 Undisturbed Islands Partially Disturbed Islands

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52 A Hierarchy of Needs What is the natural pattern concept all about, and (how) is it relevant to my world? Do I need to learn new terminology to understand or use natural patterns? What are the patterns and processes of natural disturbance? Give me some working examples of what a natural pattern-inspired disturbance plan looks like. (How) Are natural disturbance dynamics critical to other known, important ecological processes? (How) Do natural-inspired disturbance patterns fit with other economic and social values? Will our current system / budget / people allow natural patterns to happen? How do patterns of past, current, and future cultural disturbances compare to those of wildfires? Give me some operational tools with which to help me design landscapes with natural patterns in mind. Theory Language Knowledge Examples Relevance Convergence Acceptance Tools